<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Three little words by Are_you_a_writer15</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24659149">Three little words</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Are_you_a_writer15/pseuds/Are_you_a_writer15'>Are_you_a_writer15</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Arrow (TV 2012)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon LGBTQ Character, Coming Out, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Gay Pride, Gay William Clayton (Arrow TV 2012), LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Pride</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:20:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,461</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24659149</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Are_you_a_writer15/pseuds/Are_you_a_writer15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>They're just three little words....why do I find them so hard to say?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Samantha Clayton &amp; William Clayton, William Clayton &amp; Felicity Smoak, William Clayton &amp; Oliver Queen, William Clayton &amp; Oliver Queen &amp; Felicity Smoak, William Clayton &amp; Zoe Ramirez</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Little something for pride month. First time writing for Arrow. I hope you all enjoy please leave comments they are appreciated.</p><p>Ps. Happy pride🌈</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Dad I'm gay." </p><p>A simple three words that William Clayton has been struggling to say for months. A talkative kid usually, but whenever he tried to utter those three words they seemed to get  caught in his throat. Somewhere lodged between his fear and his anxiety the words just couldn't seem to come out right. Daily practices in the mirror and quiet whispers to himself at night never made it any easier.  They were just three little words, but they were three little words that could change so much for him.<br/>
    <br/>
      William can't say that he always knew he was gay it wasn't something he worried about when he was younger, but now it was the only thing on his mind. In school everyone around him was pairing off or at least hoping to, and he was left alone feeling unsure.<br/>
    <br/>
      William knew there was nothing wrong with being gay, but it didn't take the sting out when he heard the other boy's say something was gay. Out of all the things he had been bullied for he can say that his sexuality was never brought up in any of it. He figured no one knew which was a scary thought considering he would be totally shattering his families view of him with the news.<br/>
     His dad was the freaking Green Arrow the epitome of masculinity how would he feel about having a gay son? William didn't think his dad would have issues with it but one could never be sure. He knew Felicity wouldn't mind, Curtis was her best friend, and the stakes weren't as high with her because she wasn't really his mother.<br/>
   <br/>
      It hurt William to think about his mom her death was still too fresh for him. He knew she would've been excepting of him, and that little part keeps him goin when it all becomes to much. </p><p>     William knew he needed to tell his dad the truth. He wanted to live in his authenticity and the only way to do that was to be open and honest about who he was, so he decided to tell his dad after asking him to hangout under the guise of father-son bonding time.</p><p>William knew his father liked cooking for him, so that's what they decided to do. Setting up everything for their meal William felt himself sweating it was now or never. Halfway through the preparation with pan's sizzling and pots boiling William knew what he had to do taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly he uttered the three words that had been tearing him apart for months.</p><p>"Dad I'm gay"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They were just three little words....but they changed Oliver's world.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Once again just a little continuation this is Oliver's Pov this time around. </p><p>Please comment if you like this and would potentially want some more chapters or to leave some constructive criticism.</p><p>Happy pride🌈</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Dad I'm gay" </p><p>At this point in his life Oliver didn't think he could be easily surprised. With everything he's been through...and seen...and done he really didn't think the world could throw him a curve ball, but it did and it almost knocked him off his feet.</p><p>     Finding out he was a father wasn't nearly as shocking as it should've been. He knew who he was in the past and the things he had done at this point he was mildly surprised that William was his only child. He had admittedly failed in the beginning of his parenting life and well he was still barely keeping his head above water, but William and him were doing better everyday. So much so that he was so happy to have his son ask him to spend some one-on-one time together.</p><p>      Oliver loved spending time with his dad when he was younger, but by the time he was Williams age he was focused on girls and friends and he ignored his dad...he really wished he could get that time back. Because of that anytime spent with William was cherished and he was gonna cherish this moment.</p><p>     Oliver loved to cook it was fun, it grounded him and made him focus on one thing instead of the millions of things going on in his head, and most importantly it brought people together. With everything he had gone through being with his family was the most important thing to him and he cherished cooking for them, so of course he was excited when William said he wanted to cook for their bonding moment. </p><p>     The day had finally come for them to hangout. Oliver had finished up his work early and gone to the store to get all of the groceries while William was at his after school program. Felicity had decided to stay at her office later to finish up some more work giving the boys the time all to themselves and Oliver appreciated it. </p><p>     While Oliver got all of the ingredients out and the basic preparations together William showered and changed from the day and got ready to cook. They were making lasagna William had expressed that he and his mother used to make it when he was little and he enjoyed it, so he wanted to try it again.</p><p>     It hurt Oliver when William talked about Samantha. He could hear the pain in his son's voice everytime he mentioned her and it was a pain Oliver knew he would have forever. It still hurt him to think about Moira's death and he had been an adult and they hadn't necessarily been in each other's good graces, but she was his mother and it hurt so he didn't want to imagine what William was feeling. </p><p>     Oliver was proud of his son. Even with all the trauma he'd faced he was becoming an intelligent and compassionate young man with a strong sense of self and a gentle personality. He was everything Oliver wasn't at that age (hell Oliver wasn't that at this age). He hoped that his son would take that and grown into an amazing young man that would change the world. He hoped that he would be better than he was and do better then him.</p><p>     Preparing the food Oliver tried to make conversation with his son. He asked about school and his classes and friends. Oliver noticed that he mentioned a boy named Alan a lot he wondered if this boy was his Tommy. He was happy to learn that his son seemed to have a solid friendship like how he and Tommy had. He also noticed that he mentioned Zoe Ramirez his teammate Rene's little girl quite a bit. That was interesting. He knew that they had gotten closer, but he wondered if there was something there. Oliver wouldn't be against his son and Zoe being together she was a good girl, but he knew Rene would have issues with it.</p><p>     It was going great him and William were really getting along and having fun and their lasagna was gonna come out amazing. It was everything Oliver could have wanted. Finishing up the last of their preparations Oliver was talking to William about the differences in American Italian food and actual Italian food when he heard William take a deep breath. The next thing he knew he was hearing his son utter a sentence that shocked him to his core.</p><p>"Dad I'm gay"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Three little words William had to say to himself first.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So... This was supposed to be a little something and everytime I've thought I was finished I've gotten inspired again. I actually know where I'm going with this one so it shouldn't be that long, but who knows lol.</p><p>Thank you for reading and happy pride🌈</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"William you're gay"<br/>
  <br/>
   The first person William told he was gay was himself. It was after a crazy year and a half where a lot of changes happened for him.<br/>
      It all started in his math class he was sitting and staring at the back of Malcolm James's head. Malcolm was a transfer student from New York, and with his Brooklyn accent, his broad shoulders, and lean frame, and dreads everybody thought he was the coolest kid in school, and William was right along with them.</p><p>     It was pure luck that the two wound up being paired together in their science class. Getting to know one another William was amazed at how many things they had in common. They both liked computers, and video games, and baseball, they were both being raised by their dad's, and they had both lost their mother's at young ages. They became fast friends and grew close that year only for William to find out that Malcolm was moving back to New York that summer. </p><p>      Before Malcolm left he had asked William to meet him over by their schools baseball field. While sad about losing his friend William took pleasure in knowing that Malcolm considered him special enough for a private goodbye.<br/>
    <br/>
     In their last moments together before summer break and Malcolm's inevitable departure William was given life altering news Malcolm admitted to having a crush on him. Shocked William conveyed that he too had feelings for him and in their final moments right before William had to leave for the bus they shared a kiss on the side of the school by the baseball fields. William thought it was his perfect dream.</p><p>     Even after the year they spent together and his first kiss William never thought about himself being gay he didn't actually consider what his feelings for Malcolm could mean until the next school year when he met Carmen.</p><p>     Carmen Lopez was the new girl in school. She had transferred in towards the end of the last semester and quickly made a name for herself on the cheerleading team making her rise through the social ranks fast. She was slowly becoming the most popular girl in school and everybody liked her.</p><p>     Sitting back in math class this time with only daydreams of Malcolm to get him by William felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around he realized it was the new girl Carmen she was asking to borrow a pencil. After giving her a pencil it became routine she would always come up with some reason to talk to him about whether it was to borrow a pencil, or to see his notes or to ask a question. </p><p>     William didn't think anything of it too caught up on missing Malcolm but the people around him did. Guys that had barely said a word to him since he came to the school were now coming up to him asking about him and Carmen. While the girls just giggled and pointed when he was around.</p><p>     William hadn't thought about Carmen in that way, he hadn't really thought about her at all. He figured she was cute, but they had nothing in common. </p><p>     It was the winter formal when things would start to change for William. Carmen had asked him to go to the dance with her, but William had turned her down he liked her well enough but it just didn't feel right. Also the thought of going to the dance with her and dealing with all the awkwardness from his family and classmates about the two of them was something he didn't want to deal.</p><p>     On the night of the dance William laid in bed scrolling through social media seeing all of the pictures and videos posted about the nigh. He felt sad about not being there and missing out on the experience but it just didn't feel right.</p><p>     Deciding to see if Malcolm was available he sent him a text he figured it wasn't to late in New York. He promptly got a response before his phone rang for a FaceTime. Jumping up before answering William made sure his hair looked good and he was dressed alright.</p><p>     William and Malcolm talked for three hours before their responses got slow and slurred and they both admitted to being tired. Neither boy wanted to hang up so they fell asleep holding their phones and looking at each other.</p><p>     The next morning William woke up to a dead phone and the memories of last night which put a smile on his face. Laying in bed relaxing because it was still to early to move he fantasized about Malcolm. He thought about them going to the dance together, and wearing matching outfits and kissing by the baseball field again. </p><p>     When William imagined these things he only imagined them with Malcolm it wasn't something he could ever see himself doing with Carmen, and that's when it hit him it wasn't just Carmen but any girl didn't fit. Panicked William tried to swap Carmen out with every other girl he knew even Zoe but it didn't work. Shocked William sat up in his bed and whispered the three words he hadn't even fathomed he'd ever say to himself</p><p>"William you're gay"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Three little words Oliver wishes he didn't have to say</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A little shorter, but still something I'm currently working on wrapping this up. The number of hits keep going up so that's cool. Comments are welcomed and enjoyed.</p><p>Remember Happy pride🌈</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"William is gay"</p><p>     Oliver laid in bed thinking about when he first met his son William. It was after the heartache of learning that he existed after being told that Samantha had miscarried all those years ago. Oliver was hurt by everything that had happened, and he wanted to meet his son and be in his life but with all of the decisions he had made it wasn't easy.</p><p>    At first it was tentative meetings with Samantha keeping a watchful eye, but when his double life interfered Samantha became scared and father and son were separated until tragedy struck and they came together permanently after Samantha's death. </p><p>     Oliver was trying to be a good dad, he had been since the beginning, but William's admission was something he didn't know how to deal with. </p><p>     Oliver had been preparing himself for Williams teenage years for awhile now. He was hoping that he'd be able to help his son avoid the pitfalls he'd gone through by being open and honest with him about things.</p><p>     This bombshell William dropped on him was something Oliver hadn't planned for. He was ready to talk about girl's and how to treat them. He was even ready to have the sex talk with his son, but now all of that was thrown out the window. Oliver didn't know how he was supposed to discuss dating boys with his son, and he definitely didn't know how to or even want to discuss gay sex with William.</p><p>     Oliver didn't know what to do he loved his son, but this was the one thing he didn't know how to prepare for or even approach. The only thing he kept repeating was the fact that.</p><p>"William is gay"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They were just three little words...three little words that William was starting to wish he had never said.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So everytime I think I'm done with this BOOM!! More inspiration. If anybody is interested I'll expand, but if not I'll just end it where I am. Everything is still on tract with where I want this to go(which is crazy) so I guess it depends on interest.<br/>Remember Happy Pride🌈<br/>Ps. Comments are loved and greatly appreciated. Thanks for being supportive and reading and leaving comments and kudos.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Dad I'm gay" </p><p>It had been <em>two weeks</em> since William Clayton had told his father his truth. </p><p><em>Two weeks</em> since he stumbled over the words he'd been trying to say for awhile.</p><p><em>Two weeks</em> since he confided the mother of all secrets into the person he's supposed to trust with his life.</p><p><em>Two weeks</em> since William and Oliver have had an actual conversation with each other.</p><p>William didn't know what to do his dad hadn't responded to his coming out in a way that William expected...hell he didn't respond at all. Right as he was going to say something his phone chimed with an alert for the Green Arrow. Finishing the little bit of preparation for the food he called their nanny Raisa and asked her to come over. Finishing that he immediately got on the phone with Felicity trying to see what the problem was. He never looked at William again.</p><p> </p><p>William was struggling with how to approach the situation. Everything on the surface was normal. He and his dad still talked about school and things, but everything felt shallow when it came to deeper conversation. He felt like Oliver was trying to ignore what he told him instead of confronting it. Nothing was right, his dad would come in and act like their wasn't a huge elephant in the room where William was concerned, and it bothered him because it felt like he was ignoring it...like William didn't matter...like what he told him didn't matter... almost as if he ignored it, it would go away.</p><p> </p><p>William was heartbroken. He had thought that his dad would've been supportive he figured with Sara and Curtis around his dad wasn't against those in the LGBTQ+ community but obviously he was wrong. William never considered his dad to be one of those people who tolerated things as long as they didn't affect him directly, but apparently he was wrong.

The last two weeks of Williams life felt so long.</p><p><em>Two weeks</em> of not knowing where he and his father stood.</p><p><em>Two weeks</em> of feeling like he was walking on 
eggshells.</p><p><em> Two weeks</em> of feeling like he was carrying a bowling ball of anxiety in the pit of his stomach</p><p><em>Two weeks</em> of waiting for some type of reaction from Oliver.</p><p> </p><p>William felt like he was being weighed down by his father's silent rejection. It weighing heavier then the secret itself. He found himself starting to regret coming out.He wanted to live in his truth, but he didn't know if being truthful was worth the pain. He had already lost his mother he didn't know if he could stomach losing his father especially with him knowing that his grandparents would not be accepting.</p><p> </p><p>In this moment William really wished he could take it all back. He wishes he had never decided to have the father son bonding moment...had never met Malcolm...had never realized his true self...had never said those three little words to his father. </p><p>"Dad I'm gay"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They were just three little words...three little words and they were tearing the family apart.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter was a little rough I found myself knowing what I wanted to say but having a hard time conveying it in words, so this is the best I've got. I'm getting back on tract and focused, so it'll get better.<br/>Remember Happy Pride🌈<br/>Thanks for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos it's appreciated.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Something is wrong"</p><p>Felicity Smoak is a genius...ok not a certified genius,(she didn't believe in those tests) but still she's a genius. She got into M.I.T., graduated Summa Cum Laude, was a hacktivist, and she's singlehandedly been the tech person behind all of team arrows success on top of maintaining her position as resident cheerleader and occasional therapist for of the group. Felicity Smoak was smart so smart she knew when someone was trying to pull one over on her and that's exactly what her husband was trying to do.</p><p>Felicity wasn't entirely sure of what was going on at home, but she knew something was going on. The tension between her husband and their son was so thick she wasn't sure how they weren't choking on it. She had noticed that it started about two weeks ago</p><p> Oliver had been so excited that William had asked to spend time with him. It was all he talked about. Felicity was happy for him they deserved to have this moment of happiness after the heartbreak they both had been through. She was so happy she decided to stay at her office for a little longer finishing up her work to truly allow them to have that male bonding time. Felicity figured the two of them should have had an amazing time, so she wasn't sure why it seemed like everything had fallen apart.</p><p>It started off simple, so simple most people wouldn't have realized it, but Felicity knew her boys and something was wrong. Oliver and William weren't speaking to each other, oh sure they weren't completely ignoring each other, but Felicity knew something's weren't right. The conversations between the boys were once deep and meaningful now just seemed shallow and one-sided. </p><p>Oliver was always willing to sit and have conversations with William about anything from school, to sports, and even video games. Felicity has noticed that he barely talks to him only to ask how his classes were and then nothing else. It wasn't just Oliver Felicity noticed a change in but William as well he seemed withdrawn and skittish like he was waiting for something to happen. </p><p>Felicity was worried about her boys and she needed to get to the bottom of it.</p><p>"Something is wrong"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They were just three little words...three little words that Zoe knew her friend had struggled with saying.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I know it's been a while since I've posted...life decided it wanted to happen all at once and I've been busy or distracted...I hope you all enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Something is wrong"</p><p>Zoe Ramirez hadn't known William Clayton for very long, but in the amount of time they had known each other they had become close. They each had a lot in common the most obvious being their fathers involvement in vigilantism. While that connected them the thing that bonded them was the shared tragic losses of their mothers. </p><p>Zoe and William didn't hangout often, but they talked and texted constantly. Whenever something happened in the other's life or if a parent was being unreasonable they always ran to each other for advice.</p><p>Zoe was the first person William came out to. They had been hanging out while their dad's did whatever it was they did and William had been texting instead of engaging with Zoe, so she jokingly asked him whether he was texting some girl and when she did he burst into tears.</p><p>Zoe was shocked at William's reaction she had just been teasing and she never meant for it to cause such an emotional reaction in her friend. After getting his emotions under control William tearfully told her he was gay. </p><p>The trust William bestowed in her that day was not lost on Zoe and she cherished what he gave her, and because of that they became closer then ever, so close that they could read each other and know when something was wrong and that was exactly why Zoe knew something was wrong as soon as William walked in her door after begging her to let him come over. </p><p>They both tried to do homework but Zoe could tell that William was to distracted to even pay attention.<br/>
Deciding that enough was enough Zoe confronted William about what was going on and to her surprise he broke down crying. </p><p>Confused and not wanting her dad to come in asking questions she couldn't answer Zoe just pulled William into a hug letting him muffle his sobs into her shoulders.</p><p>It was during his attempts at controlling his  hiccups and wet sniffles that William tried to tell Zoe what was wrong, but she could only understand about half of what he was saying. In the parts that stuck out to Zoe she was able to understand the most important part. William had come out to his dad and if the emotional distress he was in was any indication it hadn't gone well.</p><p>Zoe knew automatically what this breakdown had to be about he had told him, William had come out to his father and from the looks of it his reaction had been bad. </p><p>Zoe didn't know Oliver Queen well and because of that she tried not to judge him and his decisions. Zoe knew her dad and him were friends but she also knew that they're relationship was strained. All of this made her want to hold off on jumping to conclusions but as William continued to sob in her arms she couldn't help but feel like Oliver needed to have some sense knocked into him by one of her aunt Dinah's cry's.</p><p>"Something is wrong"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They were just three little words...three little words that didn't even involve Rene.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It's been forever I know life keeps donkey kicking me in the chest and I've gotta deal with it. I hope that people are still interested and want this story to continue because I'm still working on it. Comments are welcomed and enjoyed. Please enjoy this chapter thanks for all the support.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Something is wrong" </p><p>Rene Ramirez was a lot of things, brash, impulsive, cocky, and hardheaded, but he was also smart, passionate, and an extremely loving and caring father to his baby girl. With all of this Rene always knew when something was wrong with her. Which is why he's been so concerned over the last few days.</p><p>Rene had noticed that Zoe had seemed distracted these last couple of days, and that left him concerned. Life for him and Zoe had been rough since her mother's passing and he hadn't been there for her like he should have been, so to make up for that he always focused on making sure she was ok even going so far as to be a little overbearing (her words not his). Noticing how she had seemed off the last couple of day's Rene tried to remember if there was something noticeable that had happened or if she had mentioned something. Looking back on things he realized that his daughters behavior had changed when William Oliver's son had come over out of the blue.</p><p>Rene had no problem with Oliver's son he was a good kid and way different then his father had been at that age if any of the stories Rene had heard were true, but he was still a boy and his baby girl was still his baby girl and he didn't like them being alone together on principle. He was trying to be better at that and allow his daughter her space to grow, but he was still her dad and he worried about her so when they were working on homework Rene was in the other room with an ear tuned to the teens. His hypervigilance of the two teens lead to him noticing something that sounded like crying. Deciding to investigate he found both kids with red-rimmed eyes and cheeks stained with tears part of him wanted to jump into the situation and figure out what was wrong, but a conversation he had, had with Dinah about suffocating Zoe came back and he just asked if they were ok and if they needed something. He now wishes he hadn't just left it alone.</p><p>Rene had noticed that Zoe seemed to be on her phone a lot lately and even though Dinah tried to chalk it up to impending teenage-hood, Rene knew it was something else. Deciding that enough was enough Rene went to voice his concerns to his baby girl about her behavior, but before he could do that she came to him almost in tears.</p><p>A million things ran threw Rene's mind at the sight of his baby girl in distress, but what she wold reveal to him was something that hadn't crossed his mind at all. With the information that Zoe tearfully relayed to him Rene knew one thing him and his "teammate/friend" needed to have a conversation about somethings.</p><p>"Something is wrong"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They were just three little words...three little words that were starting to not be so little.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Two chapters in one sitting is definitely new for me I had been sitting on both of these though so I hope they are enjoyed. As previously stated life has donkey kicked me in the chest and I'm dealing with it. Comments are greatly appreciated it lets me know that people are interested in this story and I'm not wasting my time. I hope you all enjoy thanks for all the support.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>" I'll worry later" </p><p>Oliver Queen's perfect view of his family was quickly shattered by his son's admission and he was struggling to put it back together. </p><p>The Queen men hadn't been speaking and whilst Oliver knew he needed to address the situation he also wanted to put it off as long as possible.</p><p> He wasn't sure what to do William had come out to him and he was lacking a sufficient response. Oliver knew he wasn't homophobic he was friends with Sara and Curtis, but somehow it being his son who was gay made the situation different. It changed things for Oliver in ways he hadn't yet reconciled. He had expected to bond with his son over girls he had wanted to teach him and make sure he treated them better then he had at that age he wanted to make sure he knew how to protect himself, and not end up in any trouble, and he wanted to give him his first beer and talk about his first experiences, but now all of that had changed and it was thrown away.</p><p>Another thing that had Oliver worried was how William would survive in the world he knew William wasn't the manliest kid, but he had hoped that as time went on and he grew up more he'd become manlier. He worried about him being able to protect himself from the bullies he already had and from the new ones he would get if people found out. </p><p>Oliver had no problems with gay people he thought Curtis was a cool guy; however, when he thought about Curtis he couldn't help but think about how he was terrible at fighting and instead of working to get better he focused on his stupid gadgets. William and Curtis were a lot alike in that sense he just wanted to play video games, and build, robot's, and spend time on gadgets instead of working out and sparing and that bothered Oliver because deep down inside there was a tiny part of him that wanted William to one day takeover the Green Arrow mantle. Sure he never wanted his son to face the same death and destruction he had, but he did want to know that once he hung up the hood if the city still needed a protector William would be right there to put it on, but now with everything he wasn't so sure. Despondent and tired Oliver decided to go workout figuring that he'd think about it later.</p><p>"I'll worry later"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I didn't intend to make Oliver a jackass in this but I literally had just watched a movie where a father was so against his son being gay even though he loved him with all his heart that while his son laid fighting for his life in a hospital bed after being shot by a homophobic jerk he still was still so put off by his sexuality that he threatened and assaulted his son's boyfriend. That made me so angry that a lot of his negativity wound up in Oliver and while I tried to dial it back it definitely is still in there.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They were just three little words, but they were Williams truth</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>"Peeks head around corner" Hey how y'all doing *waves* I know...I know it's been forever and a day with this story but I have to be honest between life happening and a lack of motivation on top of me not being into the Arrowverse as much as I once was the inspiration to write this story has all but dwindled. </p>
<p>However I've noticed that for someone reason there's been quite a few interactions with this story lately which sparked a little bit of an interest again. This chapter is short and probably not the best but it was my attempt at getting back into this story my plans are to finish it and wrap it up in the next few chapters to put us all out of our misery.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone that did interact with this story and enjoyed it and those that still are everything has been extremely appreciated.😍</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"living my truth"</p>
<p>William knew that the decision he was about to make was wrong and could go terribly in so many ways, but he couldn't help it he was tired of the awkward silence, he was tired of the weird and shallow conversation, and he was tired of feeling like a stranger in his own home. William was gay he knew it and he was okay with it, but his dad seemed to not be, and it hurt him to his core but with that pain came anger an anger that was slowly tearing his life apart.</p>
<p>William was pissed Oliver had no right to treat him so poorly when he had been a sorry excuse of a father for most of his life. William knew that was a bit of a stretch especially considering that Oliver hadn't known about him for the first half of his life but that didn’t make up for him being so shitty in the second half William didn't think he was deserving of a father that ignored such a big part of his life he had been forced to deal with all of his dads Arrow business even after he promised to stop and it had cost him his mother, but he still tried to give his father a chance in considering his point of view on everything. William figured that it could not have been easy to have been trapped on an island for five years only to come home to a place that just wasn’t home anymore because life had moved on without you, so he tried to hear his father out when he explained things but apparently that same courtesy couldn't be extended to him.  </p>
<p>In a moment of extreme pettiness fueled by what could only be described as teenage angst and bad decisions William decided that he would publicly come out to all of team Arrow at the family dinner they were having at the end of the week. He dad loved cooking and having people over and William thought it would be the perfect time to tell everyone...they were all family and they deserved to know his truth. William also had ulterior motives with this public coming out he figured that it was his only way of getting his father to acknowledge him and if he needed to push a little for that acknowledgement then he would. </p>
<p>William was caught in his emotions and he knew it but he needed a way to reach his father and if putting him on the spot in such a public way was the only way to get him to react then that was what he was going to have to do regardless of what the outcome was. William knew it was a terrible idea to come out when angry he had seen all of the social media and blog posts about it but he wanted to force Oliver to face what was right in front of him and realize that his son was gay and that was his truth.</p>
<p>William decided not to tell anybody about his decision not even Zoe because he knew she would've just tried to talk him out of it, and he didn't need that. When Friday finally came William woke up with his stomach in knots and feeling like someone was slowly constricting his chest as the school day went on. William found himself in the bathroom three times trying to stave off an anxiety attack and by dinner time he was feeling so sick that he doubted he’d be able to stomach any food, but he was determined to do what he planned on doing. His mind was already made up.</p>
<p>Zoe and Rene were the first to show up and the two kids immediately migrated to William's room where they spent time talking and, on their phones. Zoe did most of the talking and when ever she tried to question why William seemed so distant, he just told her that he had a lot on his mind, and she excepted it.</p>
<p>It was finally after dinner time and everyone was still hanging around letting their food digest while debating if they were going to eat desert. William knew he didn’t have long because his uncle John and aunt Lyla were going to leave soon to get back to their son and Rene and Dinah had to go into work in the morning. Deciding that it was now or never William stood up and cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. He wasn’t sure what the look on his face was, but he thinks that maybe his dad had some idea of what he was planning because he watched him go through multiple emotions before he started trying to subtlety shake his head. With a new surge of frustration at his fathers continued disregard William stood tall and addressed the room.</p>
<p>“living my truth”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I would wholeheartedly never recommend doing anything William planned to do. You should never come out when angry and never do it to spite someone or force a reaction especially so publicly. </p>
<p>Coming out is a process and its not something you're required to do or owe to anyone live yo life according to you and only you.</p>
<p>That being said this is a work of fiction and William is angry and hurting idk why I made him so angry in this chapter but I did lol once again thanks for the support</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>